The effect of natural killer (NK) cells and lymphokine activated killer ( LAK) cells was studied on a group of human melanoma cell lines. Peripheral blood from healthy volunteers was utilized as a fresh source of natural killer cells and rhI L-2 for producing LAK cells. The cytotoxicity of effector cells was quantified using a 4 hour SI determining the density of antigen expression on tumor...

At the implantation site, the uterine mucosa (decidua) is infiltrated by large numbers of natural killer (NK) cells. These NK cells are in close contact with the invading fetal trophoblast and we have proposed that they might be the effector cells that control the implantation of the allogeneic placenta. Recent characterization of NK cell receptors and their HLA class I ligands has suggested po...

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas are a group of heterogeneous disorders and according to WHO classification, are categorized into nodal and extranodal forms. NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, is a subtype of extranodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma and commonly presents as a midfacial destructive lesion. This disorder is more prevalent in Asia and South America and has a strong association with Epstein B...

Decidual and uterine natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to contribute to the successful pregnancy both in humans and mice. NK cells represent "cytotoxic" group 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and are distinct from the recently described "helper" ILC1. Here, we show that both in humans and mice the majority of group 1 ILC in endometrium/uterus and decidua express Eomesodermin (Eomes), thus...

The Ly49 receptors are type II C-type lectin-like membrane glycoproteins encoded by a family of highly polymorphic and polygenic genes within the mouse natural killer (NK) gene complex. This gene family is designated Klra, and includes genes that encode both inhibitory and activating Ly49 receptors in mice. Ly49 receptors recognize class I major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I) and MHC-I-li...

Background: Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells are the most abundant leukocytes in pre-implantation endometrium and early pregnancy deciduas in humans and rodents. They are associated with structural changes in maternal spiral arteries but regulation of their re-cruitment and activation is incompletely understood. The major subpopulation of uNK cells in humans expresses CD56, the neural cell ad...